Portfolio Reviewers at the Future Now Symposium 2018

The Portfolio Review Sessions at Future Now are for practitioners working across all different types of genre including drawing and painting, photography and digital art, sculpture, design and three-dimensional art, video, installation and performance. Here artists have the opportunity to book a slot with industry experts who can provide essential advice and guidance on your current practice and your career progression opportunities. This is a unique chance for you to develop work and find out about new ways to expand their practice.

Reviewers for Sessions 1-3

Ails McGeeCo-founder and curator, According to McGee

After completing a degree in Textiles and Surface Pattern Design, Ails worked as an Art Teacher for 12 years. In 2005 she opened her own art gallery, According To McGee, York, and has curated a number of successful exhibitions. Ails is also co-founder and curator of The Artillery and has been involved with the Aesthetica Short Film Festival for the last 5 years. She is the brain behind the charity New Visuality, for which she won a York Culture Award.

As a Senior Lecturer in Photography at York St John University, Christina’s research develops in the area of fine art practice and specifically explores the subject of photographic portraiture and self-portraiture at a theoretical and also practical level. Her current research activity as a member of the All Maps Welcome post-doctoral research group initiative explores applications of photographic re-narration, within the context of healthcare and beyond.

Kate Simpson is Assistant Editor of Aesthetica Magazine, having joined the team in 2016. She works across digital and print platforms, producing curated content for international readerships of over 375,000, showcasing both established and emerging artists. Kate has also been involved in a number of editorial initiatives and related projects including The Future Now Symposium, The Aesthetica Art Prize and the BAFTA-Recognised Aesthetica Short Film Festival.

www.aestheticamagazine.com

Lotte Inch Gallery Director, Lotte Inch Gallery

Lotte is a freelance curator and director of Lotte Inch Gallery which opened in York in 2015. She comes from a background in Heritage & Museums, having worked for organisations such as the National Trust and Leeds University Art Gallery. Her areas of expertise lie in the realm of painting, printmaking and ceramics. She is the co-founder of the York Galleries Network, a founding member of the Guild of Media Arts and an advocate for young artists.

Reviewers for Sessions 4-6

Ed Poxon Course Leader, Contemporary Craft Degree, York College

Ed Poxon is currently Course Leader of the Contemporary Craft Degree at York College. In his thirty year career in Art and Design Education he has worked at Bath Academy of Art, North East Worcester College and Coventry University. His main area of interest is studio ceramics and new technology. Work outside of education has included projects for Kodak and Interior design.

Maria is Senior Lecturer on the BA (Hons) Photography programme at Leeds Arts University, and has taught at other institutions as an Associate Lecturer in Fine Art Practices and Fashion. Maria is interested in the staging and manipulation of photography, and her work has been exhibited internationally. During her career in education Maria has worked as an arts practitioner for national arts educational organisations and charities in addition to commissions and artist in residence posts.

Scott Gray serves as CEO & Founder of both World Photography Organisation and PHOTOFAIRS and has over 18 years’ experience in the photography, international art fair and event business, working across the world to raise the level of conversation around photography. In 2007 Gray launched the Sony World Photography Awards, the world’s largest photography competition. These initiatives provide a global platform which offers photographers international exposure.

Thomas Dukes is the curator of Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool – a space founded in 1977 for people to explore photography’s unique ability to connect, to tell stories, to inquire, to reflect on humanity and to celebrate its diversity and creativity; offering dialogues around the medium. An MA in Arts, Aesthetics & Cultural Institutions at Liverpool University led to an internship with Karen Newman, who proved to be an ongoing inspiration in visual media.

Reviewers for Session 7-9

Carla Rapoport Founder, The Lumen Prize

Carla Rapoport founded the Lumen Prize in 2011 after a career as a journalist with the Financial Times, Fortune Magazine and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). She launched the not-for-profit Lumen Prize to elevate the appreciation, enjoyment and understanding of digital art globally. Now in its seventh year, the prize has staged over 40 shows globally, awarded over $50k in prize money and continues to build opportunities for digital artists across the globe.

Lottie Davies was born in Guildford, UK, in 1971 and is a photographer, artist and writer based in London. Davies’ work explores personal histories; the tales, myths and memories we use to structure meaning in our lives. She employs a deliberate reworking of our visual vocabulary, exploring notions of nostalgia and visual conventions, with the intention of evoking a sense of recognition. She was shortlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize in 2016 and is in the longlist for the 2018 edition.

Mat Lazenby is a key figure in York’s creative industries sector. Most recently, he was part of the group which created the bid for York to become a UNESCO City of Media Arts. Before founding York-based design agency LazenbyBrown he worked in senior creative positions for agencies in York and Leeds. Lazenby often speaks in educational institutions, has developed brand design projects for a host of local and national brands, and was the 2017 Master of the Guild of Media Arts.

Will Hudson’s current role is Innovation Director at the HudsonBec Group, a group of companies that enable creativity to thrive. Companies within the group currently include It’s Nice That – a digital and printed platform that Will founded and directed from 2007 onwards as a way to champion emerging artists and share creativity inspiration through accessible and universal art forms. The list also includes creative agency Anyways and creative resource Lecture in Progress.

Reviewers for Sessions 10-12

Chris Walker Director, Bright White Ltd.

Chris Walker is a founding director of the multi-award-winning design consultancy Bright White Ltd. Formed in 2004, the organisation works predominantly in the museums and heritage sector, creating and implementing innovative uses of technology in museum interpretation. Their mission is to inspire the next generation of creative talent, and clients include The National Trust for Scotland, English Heritage, York Museums Trust and the NHS.

Hazel Watts is the co-owner of Spectrum Photographic, a fine art and photographic printing company. Hazel’s academic background is in the History of Art and she worked in fine art publishing before joining Spectrum, going on to buy the company with two co-owners in 2016. Hazel has worked on numerous projects including Brighton Photo Biennial, the Photoworks/Jerwood Award and Focus Mumbai as well as with galleries on a national and international level.

Helen Turner, Subject Director Fine Art, Illustration and Photography, York St John University

Helen Turner has worked in HE since 2003 and has a background in Public Art, with a specialism in Textiles. She is experienced in arts project management and participatory practice including Arts in Health projects (including work with mental health services users, care leavers and elderly patients) and projects in schools and informal educational settings. She is a board member of Chrysalis Arts. Her research interests explore the creation of artefact through performance.

Thomas Dukes is the curator of Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool – a space founded in 1977 for people to explore photography’s unique ability to connect, to tell stories, to inquire, to reflect on humanity and to celebrate its diversity and creativity; offering dialogues around the medium. An MA in Arts, Aesthetics & Cultural Institutions at Liverpool University led to an internship with Karen Newman, who proved to be an ongoing inspiration in visual media.

Reviewers for Sessions 13-15

Griselda Goldsbrough is a visual artist and writer, community educator and co-curator of an arts and events company, Spike and Sponge. She has over 15 years’ experience in devising and curating creative art, science and literature programmes and events. Griselda provides comprehensive arts and education consultancy which is tailored to meet client’s specific needs. She has also been involved in the Aesthetica Art Prize for several years running.

John O’SheaSenior Exhibitions Manager, National Science and Media Museum

John O’Shea is a curator, producer and artist working nationally and internationally, exploring the boundaries of artistic practice and the societal impact of emerging technologies. Occupying the intersection of art, design, science and digital, he was Guest Curator to the FAULT LINES programme at Future Everything, regional lead for Arts Council England’s Digital Cultures initiative and Senior Exhibitions Manager at the National Science and Media Museum, Bradford, UK.

Lara Prendergast is Assistant Editor at The Spectator, a weekly British magazine that covers politics, culture, and current affairs and was established in 1828. She has previously worked on the Freelance Features and Culture Desks at the Daily Telegraph, as well as working on various projects for Vogue India, The Evening Standard and Intelligent Life. She has written widely for a variety of publications, including the Financial Times, the Evening Standard and Apollo Magazine.

Mike Stubbs is the Director at FACT, Liverpool, a new media arts centre based on Wood Street in Liverpool, England. He was previously Head of Program for ACMI (Australian Centre of Moving Image) and Melbourne and Senior Research Fellow, Dundee University. He has commissioned and produced over 350 exhibition programmes and is also a moving image artist who has been shown at Baltic, Tate, BBC & C4. He was awarded a Fleck Fellowship, Banff, 2002.

Conceptual and Data artist Rachel Ara graduated from Goldsmiths College where she won the prestigious Burston Award. In 2016 she won the Aesthetica Art Prize for This Much I’m Worth [the self-evaluating artwork]. Her work is nonconformist with a socio-political edge that often incorporates humour and irony with feminist and queer concerns. Rachel is currently artist in residence at the V&A and this year will be showing work at the Whitechapel Gallery (London Open), Barbican (New Commission) and the V&A (London Design Festival).

Reviewers for Sessions 16-18

Cherie FedericoCo-founder & Managing Director of Aesthetica

Cherie Federico is the Director of Aesthetica Magazine which was founded in 2003. Aesthetica Magazine is one of the leading British art and culture publications with 375,000 readers in print and digital. A strong believer in clean design, striking photography, critically engaging content, Cherie is a key protagonist of bringing new talent to the fore alongside established practitioners. She is also the Director of the Aesthetica Short Film Festival and the Aesthetica Art Prize.

Joseph Robson is the co-founder of Anise Gallery, London, promoting the link between art and architecture across a range of disciplines. Robson studied architecture at the University of Bath before working at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture (CASA) researching 3D modelling, virtual reality and historical reconstruction. He has worked with some of the world’s most celebrated architects, and has had work exhibited at RIBA, Royal Academy, Somerset House and the Sorbonne.

Mat Lazenby is a key figure in York’s creative industries sector. Most recently, he was part of the group which created the bid for York to become a UNESCO City of Media Arts. Before founding York-based design agency LazenbyBrown he worked in senior creative positions for agencies in York and Leeds. Lazenby often speaks in educational institutions, has developed brand design projects for a host of local and national brands, and was the 2017 Master of the Guild of Media Arts.

Patrick Allen is a Senior Lecturer in New Media Design and Programme Leader for BSc Web Design & Technology and MA Digital Arts & Media at the University of Bradford. Allen was awarded a PhD in Knowledge Based Systems, and has published research on augmented space and reality. As a Senior Fellow of the HEA, he uses a multidisciplinary approach to make sense of how to design, create and use new media in public space, and his teaching is informed by these studies.